Bring me to Light

Thanks very much for the reviews I've been recieving. I'll update 2 chapters now and then it'll probably be 2 weeks before I can update again next.

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Empathy

“So you can just warp to any point in Hyrule by playing a song?” Link asked, sitting on the stone wall that enclosed the lift. Purple, blue, red and green light flickered across the low walls, casting colour along the bland surfaces.

“There are only 6 points which you can warp to and you need to have the correct instrument but, yes.”

“So there’s one to warp to the forest and I’ll bet there’s one for fire and water, so that’s Death Mountain and Lake Hylia…”

“Yes and there’s also light, shadow and spirit. The songs warp you to a stone pad outside each temple.”

“Like the one outside? And in the temple of time?”

The Sheikah nodded, settling himself down on the wall next to Link, watching the Hylian draw a leg up and rest his chin on his knee.

Despite the still malignant atmosphere of the temple the young man seemed relatively relaxed as they rested before the battle against the temple’s strongest opponent that dwelt in the chamber below.

“Can…can you teach me them?”

Sheik turned to him, lavender light from the nearest torch flitting restlessly over his covered face.

“You will learn certain songs in time. Those that are necessary…perhaps fire, water and shadow…”

“And the others?”

“Are not necessary.”

“Does it matter?”

“Why would you wish to learn something you don’t need to know?”

Link shrugged, newly found bow jostling on his back at the movement. “I like learning things, you know? And besides, I like music. I only know six songs at the moment and I can’t play at least four of those.”

“Why not?”

“Well…one’ll summon a storm, one’ll turn it from day to night, one will send Epona frantic and the other…I don’t think Saria wants to be bothered that much.”

“Perhaps not…”

“So?”

With a mixture of irritation and amusement the shadow warrior nodded, pulling out the small golden harp he carried with him.

“Alright! I knew you’d see it my way.”

“Indeed.” Sheik raised an eyebrow slowly as he watched the Hylian rummaging around the inside of his tunic for the blue ocarina.

“It’s in here somewhere I swear…”

The young man had now pulled out the front of his tunic, his head shoved down inside it as he continued to paw through folds of fabric and various items.

He couldn’t help it. Sheik lowered his head and bit his lower lip, trying to hold back the laughter that had suddenly developed, feeling his body shaking with it. His eyes flicked up to his companion, checking his status, relieved to see that the blonde still had his head down his tunic, looking for the ocarina.

And now with added mutterings.

Taking a deep breath, the Sheikah slowly exhaled, trying to dispel the laughter for his reputation’s sake, but at the same time, he found he didn’t quite want to.

He so rarely felt this way. So rarely had any light or relief in his life. Laughter was an unfamiliar sensation to him and he was reluctant to let it go, the lightness in his body was so strange but welcome, the break from the worries over the fate of the world even more so.

That quelled it.

The world’s fate. It was his mission, the reason for his being.

“Hero, I would ask that you hurry in your search,”

“Maha! Got it”

With an almost audible ‘pop’ the hero pulled his head out of the green fabric’s clutches, ocarina in hand.

“Told you I’d get it.”

The Sheikah merely inclined his head in agreement, all traces of laughter erased. Raising his leg to rest on the wall, he leant the small harp on top of his thigh, resting it between leg and ribs, right arm supporting the arc furthest from him.

Bandaged fingers plucked taut strings, notes flowing from the instrument in a perfectly performed tune, light in tone, dark in tune, holding promises of friendship, memories and heartbreak. The notes mirrored the meaning, giving physical form to invisible thoughts and feelings.

‘The flow of time is always cruel. Its speed seems different for each person, but no-one can change it. Some thing that doesn’t change with time is a memory of younger days.’

The thoughts echoed in Sheik’s mind, words he had been taught to say for another time…a different succession of events that would have been so much better for the corrupted young man that sat in front of him, blue eyes alight, alive with the harp’s song. Had the fairy not called the boy’s name, Ganondorf would have never known who he was before it was too late and Link wouldn’t have lost 7 years of his life. Seven years that, through the fault of one word from one fairy, could no longer be reclaimed. Not like they could have if things had gone according to plan. He would’ve merely fallen asleep, done his duty and be sent back. Unfair, perhaps, but better than this life, surely. Better than spending your entire adolescence being imprisoned, belittled and beaten on a daily basis.

“Wow that’s…”

Sheik lowered the harp. “Try it for yourself.”
Link nodded eagerly, bringing the ocarina to his mouth, eyes fluttering shut as he positioned his fingers. Sheik played again, the same song, same tempo, same wordless meanings as Link caught on, learning the notes as if catching them as they floated out of the harp, and putting them through the ocarina.

The music intertwined, the sounds of ocarina and harp harmonising with their song of light and sadness. The two men played, lost in the music even as Sheik finished the song with a flourish, fingers trailing up the silver harp strings.

Instruments were slowly lowered, the men aware that something between them had changed in that instant and they were wary of it.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Link was the first to speak.

“So, uh…how come we didn’t warp outside?” he kept his head down, eyes lowered as he put the ocarina back inside his tunic.

“Because we had no desire to. Or, at least, we weren’t playing for that purpose.”

“Oh, so you can chose whether to go or not.”

Sheik nodded distractedly, his face turned away from Link.

There was a pause, the silence reinstating itself as Link busied himself with pointlessly straightening his belt and gauntlets whilst Sheik tugged a loose piece of bandage back into place around his finger.

“…If you’re rested enough, we should continue.” Sheik eventually stated, looking pointedly at the lift in the centre of the square.

“Yeah, ok.”

Link stood, following Sheik to the lift, eyeing the small space sceptically.

“Go down first, hero, I’ll follow you.”

The Hylian rolled his eyes at the Sheikah, stepping into the lift and grabbing the other blonde, pulling him into the lift with him.

“The lift probably doesn’t come back up without someone in it,” Link explained as the lift began to descend to the lower floors.

Sheik merely looked to the walls that surrounded them as they travelled down to the basement of the temple, studiously ignoring Link’s proximity. The fact that they were mere centimetres from each other, that he could feel warm breath on the exposed skin of his face, hair being ruffled by the slight breeze…it made him uneasy.

As the basement room came into view Sheik turned his back to Link, ready to jump off as soon as they touched the floor. When the lift hit the floor with a resounding clang, however, he found himself restrained, a hand on his arm as he turned his head slowly to look at Link. Red eyes met blue and the Hylian released him.

“Sorry, the bump made me loose my balance.” Sheik noted the hero’s left hand clutching at the support post of the lift and nodded before stepping out onto the floor, turning to watch Link do the same.

Link tapped his boot experimentally against the white floor as he examined the octagonal room. Marble.

“Weird that they put so much effort into making this room look nice,” he commented, gesturing to the plush red and blue carpets “Especially considering the rest of the temple.”

“This is the antechamber for the trial room,” Sheik explained, rapping his fist against a section of wall.

“It’s hollow?” Link asked, joining the shadow warrior, eyeing the protruding segments of wall around the room. Sheik nodded once.

“We have to push the walls?!”

Another nod.

“…who thought up this design?! I swear to the goddesses, the architect of this place was a sadist.”

Beneath his mask, Sheik smirked again.

“Oh and by the way, I haven’t seen a single bathroom in this place.”

“…It’s a temple, not an inn. Besides, the Kokiri don’t have any either.”

“Well no but they live in the forest. We just….went behind a bush or dug a hole.”

Despite the fact that about 75 percent of the younger man’s face was covered, Link could plainly read the expression of distaste. Averting his eyes he turned to look back at the wall.

“So…uh, should we get doing?”

Walking over to the protruding segment that, presumably, acted as a handle, Link placed both hands on it, tensing his legs against the floor. Sheik joined him a second later, mirroring the Hylian’s position.

With a nod from the older boy they pushed together, muscles straining against the seemingly immobile object, feet struggling to find grip on the smooth floor.

“Guh….this is….”

It gave slightly, slipping a centimetre or so and Link turned his head to watch the blonde next to him as he redoubled his efforts to move it. Slender toned muscles flexed in his arms and shoulders, his thigh muscles bunched and solid as he pushed from the floor. His head was down, his back arched like a cat, chest starting to heave with effort.

Link shook his head, trying to focus on pushing the wall, his eyes still trying to stray back over to the sight of that lean, labouring body.

A heavy, scraping groan resounded around the room as they pushed on the wall and a second later, it was moving, skidding around the edges of room, a niche falling into place in front of a wooden door.

Link picked himself off the floor, brushing down his tunic having been leaning against the wall when it moved. Sheik had had the common sense to push off from the wall and was now standing beside Link, an eyebrow raised in a mixture of mockery and amusement.

Sticking his nose up in the air Link strolled past Sheik to the door, opening it to enter into a dark corridor.

“This looks promising,” he stated sarcastically, peering down the dim hall where mould grew from cracks in the walls.

“Looks can be deceiving. Let’s get moving.” The Sheikah brushed past his charge, leaving Link scurry to catch up to him.

“So…d’you have any idea what this trial thing is going to be?”

Sheik shook his head “No. Nor can I help you in that battle. It is a test to prove that you can stand up to the forces of evil, but as your guide I can tell you this…the temple’s contain items and weapons that must be won..”

“Like this bow?”

“Correct. It is this weapon that must be used to defeat the trial ahead, along with your sword.”

“Right.” Link stopped as they reached the door at the end of the corridor, looking at the bulky, horned lock and chains that barred it. Hesitantly, he drew out the gold and ruby horned key that matched it, inserting it into the lock and twisting. With a click, the lock dropped to the floor, chains falling with it to land on the ground in a heap. Link brushed them aside with his foot.

“I guess this is it then.”

He swallowed thickly, reaching out to place his hand on the wooden panel of the door and sliding it upwards before walking into the room.

Sheik followed closely.

It was dark. Dark to such an extent that Link could barely see his hand as he stretched it in front of him. Sheik stood behind him, flanking his right side, red eyes cutting through the darkness easily.

“There are steps to our right, “ he informed the Hylian “As soon as your eyes have adjusted you should take them.” The young man nodded silently, grasping the Master Sword and sliding it out of its scabbard as he waited for his eyes to adjust to the lack of light. The room grew a little lighter as the sword was pulled free, its pale blue glow casting across the chamber.

There was a curved wall right in front of him. Looking behind himself to Sheik, he caught red-eyes that looked violet in the blue light and the shadow warrior nodded silently.

Taking a deep breath Link nodded to himself and stepped to his right, walking slowly up the shallow stairs, his head turned to the left as they curved. A rounded platform was slowly coming into view and once at the top of the steps, Link looked around before walking onto the platform, right into the centre where the Triforce was embossed onto the floor. White lines radiated from it as it were the sun, small yellow triangles ran around the outer ring, pointing inwards.

Link rested the tip of the Master Sword in the centre of the empty triangle in the centre of the Triforce as he looked around the rest of the circular chamber. Painting’s decorated the walls, although Link supposed that ‘decorated’ was too strong a word. Each of the six paintings was exactly the same, a haunting scene of a dull grey road lined by forests of dead black trees reaching to a macabre purple sky. A castle stood at the top of the trail, jet black against purple, silhouetted.

It reminded Link of the market town, devoid of life, a towering black fortress standing on the remains of a formerly majestic building. Even the trees that had lined the castle field were probably black and dead by now…if they still existed at all.

Seeing nothing to fight Link turned back, walking towards Sheik and shaking his head. The blonde was standing at the top of the steps, outside the railings encircled the podium, eyes searching the room fro some sort of enemy his brow furrowed. Either this was a clever trick to catch Link off guard or it was a fluke and the temple’s final trial didn’t recognise Link as the hero of time.

Sheik lowered his head, hoping it was the former.

A metallic hiss made the shadow warrior jerk his head up and he found himself looking into startled blue eyes. Spiked railings had shot from the ground at the threshold of the arena as Link had stepped onto it and the Hylian was now holding his right leg comically high, having quickly retracted it from the waist-high golden spears.

“Nuuh!”

It was the only response the Hylian could make to the shock. Until that was, something crashed down behind him, illuminating the room with white light fro a split second and Link pivoted to face the origin of the light.

Ganondorf.

Link gasped stumbling back, mouth open in shock and horror. The Gerudo King sat before him atop his black stallion, glaring down at Link, a superior smirk playing over his lips.

The hero had seen that smirk before. It was a cold promise of horrors to come, acts of torture that would scar emotionally as easily as they did physically.

The smirk widened as he stared down at the Hylian, revealing white teeth in a shark like grin as he raised his hand.

Sheik tensed as he watch the King of Evil life his hand, the instinct to jump in and grab Link overwhelming but…below that sudden rush of emotion that he was so unaccustomed to was his usual calm logic.

This couldn’t be Ganondorf for the man himself was still in his fortress, unaware that the Hero of Time had awakened or at least, unaware that he was going around the temples anyway. Besides that, there was something about ‘Ganondorf’ that didn’t seem quite as substantial as it should do.

Link seemed to have noticed it too, for he straightened up from his almost cowering position that shrank away from the Dark Lord, stating a challenge.

That giant tanned had that had lifted was now hovering over his head, lowering to grasp at red hair and with a sickening sound of skin being torn from bone, that face was pulled away. Blue flames licked around white bone as yellow eyes lit in empty sockets. The face dropped to the floor, where it sat in a pool of not quite blood.

“Phantom Ganon!” Sheik called “He’s an evil spirit from beyond this world, a puppet that Ganondorf can summon at will.”

Link nodded as the creature and his horse leapt straight into the air where the beast pawed at the air before surging forwards, leaping straight towards a painting.

Purple energy surged as the horse collided with the artwork, its head and neck sinking into a swirling vortex that hand formed. The rest of the horse’s body and Ganon followed and Link grasped his sword tighter as the horse galloped to the painted fortress.

“Remember that the temple provides the tools you need to fight the trial’s creature.”

“How the hell does the temple know?!” Link replied running to the gate that Sheik stood by and sheathing the Master Sword. The bow was out, an arrow nocked to the string a second later.

“…uh…now’s not the time for those sorts of questions! Two o’clock.”

“I don’t need to know the time you’ll tell me the answer now!!”

Sheik rolled his eyes as the Hylian lifted the bow.

“No, the position the enemy’s at relative to a clock face.”

“And in directional terms?”

“East-north-east.”

“Gotcha.”

He spun, to face the picture just as the horse approached the frame a vortex forming and he waited just a split second longer before releasing the arrow.

The arrow shot through the air, splitting it, before burying itself into the horse’s skull and it bellowed with pain, retreating into the picture. It turned and galloped back up the path to the castle again.

Link nocked another arrow, fingers brushing the fletching at the end as he swung the weapon up to point at the wall.

“This is too easy. There’s gotta be more to it than just shooting it.”

“There may well be. West-south-west.” Sheik directed and Link swung around to the picture, drawing the arrow back against the string as the horse raced towards him. It reached the frame, skidded to a stop and turned before running back to the castle.

Frowning, Link glanced to his right, just in time to see a bolt of light shoot into the centre of the ring, dispersing with an electric crackle. Above it Ganon’s phantom and horse soared through the air in a smooth arc, the spirit brandishing his sceptre as they sank into a new picture.

“Damn I should not have said it should be more difficult.”

Sheik sniggered slightly before advising Link: “The phantom comes out of the paintings at random, so you keep watch of these on the left, I’ll take the right side.”

Link nodded “Seems like a plan.”

However even with two pairs of eyes watching, it took a surprisingly long time to succeed in hitting the creature.

“Damnit! this had got to be the one,” Link growled as he watched the black horse near the edge of the painting before giving a triumphant cry when the purple vortex formed and he loosed the arrow at the creature. With another bellow the animal bucked, throwing its rider before sinking back into the picture and returning to the castle.

The phantom now stood in front of Link, or perhaps ‘floating’ would be a better term, twirling the sceptre in its bony hand, yellow eyes glowing in the sockets of its bizarre horned skull.

“Put the bow away! Use the Master Sword!”

The Hylian complied, backing away from the enemy as it floated higher, sliding the bow onto his back and pulling out the Master Sword.

The phantom twirled the jewelled sceptre above its head, light sparking from the topaz jewels and joining until it ran the length of the rod. With a heavy downward swing the energy seemed to slide to the tip and collect into a ball that flew towards Link. With no other clue as to what to do and Sheik remaining oddly silent in his role of ‘guidance’ Link struck at the ball with his sword, amazed when it bounced backed towards the creature and collided with it. Electricity ran along the ghost’s bony form as it fell to the floor and Link ran over to it, sword drawn slicing cleanly at the downed creature.

From the sidelines, Sheik watched, red eyes able to see what a Hylian’s couldn’t. Violet strings of energy attached to limbs of the creature, jerking them into the motions of attacking Link, a few lying severed, hanging limply from its form, sliced through by the sword. The strings suddenly grew thicker; flooding into the creature as it charged its sceptre again, repeating the attack from before.

Sheik shook his head. Unless Link made a grave mistake, this battle wasn’t going to last long. The Hylian’s reflexes were fast, his sword skills excellent and attack after attack was returned easily and cleanly to the creature.

Purple strings severed further and the creature still continued its repetitive attack, only just managing to return the ball of energy to Link in a second attempt to attack him, the light orb flying and forth between the weapons of good and evil.

The end of the battle was in sight and Link knew it, his attacks were growing firmer, faster turning offensive instead of defensive. Driving evil back instead of merely restraining it.

Something shifted, changed.

Link was suddenly on the floor on his back and Sheik lurched, afraid that the mistake could cost the hero his life. If he couldn’t get up in time the creature may well kill him.

He was climbing to his feet shakily, thrown off by the slip and Sheik noticed the bottom of the young man’s boot, slick with black liquid. Blood from the face that the creature had peeled off and now lay on the floor.

He was moving too slowly and Sheik felt his system flood with adrenaline, his muscles twitching, expecting to be put into action. Sheik fought himself, his feelings, the desire to want to rush in and help Link. If he did though it could turn out that Link couldn’t hold his own in a battle, wasn’t strong enough to survive on his own and so Sheik held himself back from action, watching to see how the boy would react to the danger, if he could survive an attack. Sheik had helped him before with the wallmaster. He wouldn’t again. Not until he knew the boy could hold his own.

The phantom approached as Link struggled up right, flicking the peeled face to the side of the arena with the tip of his sword, a look of sheer disgust on his gentle features. Using the sword as support, he pushed himself to his feet, staggering as he stood.

Suddenly, there was pain and it blinded him. Electricity coursed through his body, a bizarre combination of violent vibration and shooting pain spreading through his veins whilst around him white light flashed and crackled, lighting the room momentarily.

The light faded, the sound quieting, the sensation of pain still crackling through his body.

Sheik watched anxiously as the Hylian remained crouched in the same position even as the phantasm drew back, floating around the outside of the room. White electricity still ran along the boy’s body, arcing over his form.

He stood, shakily, straightening up and grasping the sword tightly as he pivoted slowly, coolly, calmly…and Sheik drew a tense breath. The darkness was back.

The chosen pulled his sword to the side, extending his right hand to the floating ghost. His fingers twitched back towards his palm twice, a taunting gesture to entice the creature.

With what sounded like Ganon’s laugh, the creature spun its staff, returning to its former attack again and Link stood calmly in the centre of the platform, sword by his side. The energy sphere was cast, lighting the room, hurtling towards him, sparks flying from it. If it hit him, it would surely kill him this time.

Sheik’s breath caught in his throat, the ball only a foot away from its target. The sword flew up in a flash of motion, gleaming white in the darkness, its own warning energy crackling under its wielder’s hand and it smashed into the ball, sending it back towards the enemy, too fast for it to counter.

One thread of energy remained, a broad purple string joined to the creature’s skull.

A harsh cry of malice echoed in the room as the hero leapt towards his prey and the thread shattered, breaking as the blade of the sword slammed through the skull.

Energy sparked from the creature’s body, pouring from it as it leapt upwards, jerked into the air where it floated to the centre of the room, blue flames burning its form. Sword still embedded in skull it drifted over another swirling vortex that had formed over the Triforce image.

“Hey kid, you did quite well…looks like you might have some slight skill,” the voice came from every direction, deep and powerful. Link tensed that darkness on his face growing, lips pulling back to reveal white teeth in a feral snarl.

“However, that was only my puppet…if you ever grow the balls to fight the real me, it won’t be so easy.”

The tone of voice changed, as if Ganondorf’s attention had been pulled to something else.

“What a worthless creation that ghost was,” the tone was musing, as if the Dark Lord was merely reading an interesting book. “I shall banish it to the gap between dimensions!”

It suddenly thundered around the room, angry and dark, the ghost jerking up and grasping its head as if in pain as it was sucked into the vortex. The portal began to seal, the Master Sword that had been embedded in the creatures skull flying out as if flicked away by the devil and it landed neatly in the centre of the Triforce symbol as the rumbling growl and presence of Ganondorf faded from the room.

A blue halo of light rose from the floor and Link stepped towards it silently, grasping the Master Sword. The familiar blue crystal encased him once more, spinning and twisting as it ascended, pulling Link to the Chamber of the Sages.

Sheik watched as he went without even a glance back at him. He stepped through the now lowered gate into the podium, walking to the centre of the room and looking up at the point where Link had disappeared.

There was no evidence in the room that a struggle had ever occurred, even the face of the phantom had dissolved into a pile of ash that had been sucked into the vortex. Alone, Sheik pulled out the harp, intending to warp back to the forest when a flicker of movement in a painting caught his eye.

Lowering the harp he stepped towards it, noting the black moving shape. The phantom’s horse. Its owner and companion had been dragged away and destroyed, broken down and probably reset into something new and unfamiliar. Sheik found himself able to empathize with the whinnying creature and raised a bandaged hand to the painting, trailing it down the bumpy surface. The horse whinnied again before turning and galloping back to the castle.

Sheik nodded, he too, must return to his duty. Raising the harp he played the minuet of forest, closing his eyes as the song transported his form.
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